Dumping-car.



A. BECKER.

DUMPING GAR.

APPLIUATION FILED D3018, 1907.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W] NESSLS [NI/'E/VTOR 1 I v 7 jfllame v ORHIS PETERS NC' LITHQ, WASHINEYOM D L A. BECKER.

DUMPING GAR. APPLIOATION FILED DEO.18,- 1907.

913,938. Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ANTON BECKER. OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIG NOR TO THE RALSTON STEEL CAR COMPANY,

OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

DUMPING-CAR.

Specification of Letters Tatent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed. December 18, 1907. Serial No. 407,015.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain 'ntzw and useful Improvements in Dumping-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in dumping cars, and particularly to cars having a series of hinged doors constituting the major portion of the car floor. In some cars of this type, the drop doors are raised and held in their closed positions by chains; in others they are held by sliding shafts movable toward and away from the center sills, and in others by crank shafts the latter being journaled in bearings carried by the transverse bearers of the underfrarne. In drop bottom cars in which the doors aresupported on crank shafts, the doors are generally arranged on opposite sides of the center sill, and are supported by four shafts, two alined shafts on each side, the four shafts being actuated at their outer ends by levers and pawls and ratchets. With doors so supported, there is a tendency for the shafts to twist at their inner ends and thus prevent a complete closure of all the doors.

The object of my invention is to provide means for supporting and locking the inner ends of the shafts against torsional strains when the dumping doors are in their closed positions, and it consists in the parts and combinations of parts as will be more fully ex lained and pointed out in the claims.

11 the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a portion of the underfi'ame of a car, a drop door and a section of the crank shaft, showing the latter locked. Fig. 2 is a view showing the shaft released. Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the locking device, showing the shaft in place. Fig. 4 is an end view of the locking device and Fig. 5 a plan view of the latter.

. 1 represents a cross bearer or transom of a car, 5 a drop door and 3 a crank shaft carrying rollers 4 which move in contact with the underside of the drop door 5. This shaft is provided with a crank for each door of the series actuated by the same. In practice two alined crank shafts are employed at each side of the car, each shaft actuating one half ANTON BECKER, of

the doors on one side. rhe shafts are supported on opposite sides of each door by earings 6 carried by the cross-bearers and bolsters, and the outer ends are rovided with means (not shown) whereby tfie shafts may be turned for starting the opening movement, for closing the doors, and for locking the shafts against rotation.

The locking devices to be now described are secured to the underside of the doors adjacent to the inner ends of the shafts, or the ends farthest removed from the cute ends of the shafts, and each comprise a bracket 7 secured by rivets or otherwise to the underside of the door 5, in a position to form an abutment or stop for the crank of the shaft, when the crank is in its position for holding the door closed, which position is either vertical or slightly beyond the dead center.

The bracket 7 consists of an integral top plate, end plate 8 and side plates, the end plate constituting the stop or abutment for the crank, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The locking lever 9 is pivotally mounted between the side plates of the bracket on pin 10, which latter is carried by said side plates. This lever is in the form of a bell crank lever, the longer member thereof constituting the handle, and the shorter member a hook, adapted to engage the crank as shown in Fig. 3 and hold it solidly against the bracket, thus preventing the shaft from bending under any load and protecting it from torsional strains.

The shaft locking lever may be locked in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, by passing pin 11 through hole 12 in lever 9 below the bracket, and it may be alsoheld in its unlocking position by passing the pin 11 through holes 13 in the side walls of the bracket and through the hole 12 in lever.

The pin 11 is loosely suspended from the lever carrying pin 10 by chain 14.

When it is desired to dump the load or drop the doors, the levers are turned to their unlocking positions and secured by the pin 11, thus leaving the shafts free to be turned in a direction to drop the doors. After the doors have been raised to their normal closed position by the rotation of the shafts, the latter are again locked bythe locking levers.

It is evident that many slight changes might be resorted to in the relative arrangement of the parts shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention hence I would have it understood that I do not wish to confine myself to ghe exact construction shown and described,

Plaving fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is I 1. In a dum car, the combination with a hinged door, 0 a crank shaft, an abutment carried by the door and forming a stop for the crank when the latter is in its closing position, and means for locking the crank in contact with the abutment. v

2.' In a dum car, the combination with a hinged door, 0 a crank shaft, the crank of which engages the under face of the door, an abutment carried bythe door and forming a stop for the crank when the latter is in its closing position and a locking lever for holding the crank in contact with the abutment.

3. In a dump car, the combination with a hinged door, of a crank shaft, rollers on the latter for engaging the under face of the door,

a stop on the door against which the crank rests when'in its closinag ]position, a locking lever for engaging an olding the crank against the-stop and means for locking the lever.

4. In a dump ,car, the combination with a hinged door, of a crank shaft, a bracket secured to the under face of the door and forming a stop against which the crank rests when in its closing position, a lever carried.

being hook-shaped to engage the shaft and hold same against said stop, and means for locking the lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANTON BECKER.

Vitnesses E. S. GULvER, W. S. SHELDON. 

